Russia: How Could This Happen?

Police in St. Petersburg wouldn't allow controversial legislator Vitaly Milonov, best known for his anti-gay stance, to interfere with a gay pride march on May Day. He tried to stop the march on the grounds of a 'gay propaganda' law he himself sponsored.

An LGBT activists' column was part of Friday's massive rally, which marched along Nevsky Prospect, the city's main street. More than 90,000 people from all ranges of the political spectrum participated, from the ruling United Russia party to Communists and various small opposition groups.

Milonov along with a group of about a dozen of supporters tried to block the gay pride column, which was carrying rainbow flags and banners calling for tolerance, including one depiction of the politician himself.

He wanted to stop the activists, saying they were violating a controversial law he sponsored a few years ago, which bans propaganda of gay lifestyle to minors, and brought some minors among his supporters to make his case, the Fontanka newspaper reported.

His other complaint was about Ukrainian and American flags being carried by another part of the marching column allied with the LGBT activists...

Police officers guarding the rally were not impressed with the argument. They asked the lawmaker and his group to move aside and not provoke a conflict.

The discouraged MP and his group let the column pass and went after them, with police keeping the two separated. They went their separate ways eventually...

Russia Today - or as it is invariably called in the Western media ;'the state-funded Russia Today'.

Unlike our own BBC, of course.

Clearly this did not happen, as the same obedient Western media are always saying there is a total ban on all gay protests in Russia.

Ho hum...